Google’s rumoured September 29th event in San Francisco to launch this years Nexus phones hasn’t even been officially announced, but already there’s murmurings that a new Chromecast could be announced at the event. 9to5Google has provided a picture of what they believe to be the gen 2 device and a few details on what it could add to the current model.
The first look can only be described as blurry at best, showing what appears to be a round device which is markedly different to the current form factor. Based on the images, the device will be offered in three colours: black, red and yellow possibly meaning it’s going to be on display rather than hidden away like the original low-key design.
Described to 9to5Google only as the ‘new Chromecast’ there have been a few details about the device leaked to them. The device will support Wi-Fi improved Wi-Fi support, possibly meaning that the long awaited 802.11AC support will finally arrive. This improved Wi-Fi will also make way for a new feature called ‘Fast Play’, though no details on what that is have been provided.
Another device, dubbed ‘Chromecast Audio’ aimed as an Audio companion for speakers will apparently also make an appearance, with the device possibly plugging into speakers via an auxillary cable.
Lastly, the new Chromecast will now support ‘feeds’ onto the Chromecast backdrop, though what type of feeds – New, Social etc. – hasn’t been clarified. We speculate that if introduced, this feeds feature would most likely be a backwards compatible as it’s a fairly easy to implement software addition.
The excitement of a new Nexus launch is still upon us and with an improved Chromecast possibly on the way as well, it might be time, if you haven’t already, to start saving those pennies – though the word from 9to5Google is that this gen 2 device would be similar in price to the original.
What other hardware improvements would you like to see on a Chromecast version 2?
